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External Document Storage

Connect Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, SharePoint, Amazon S3, or Wasabi and other S3-compatible storage to keep Studio attachments in cloud storage controlled by your organization.

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Keep your files in your own storage

SoftEXIT Studio stores document files in your connected cloud account, not on SoftEXIT servers. Studio keeps the references and metadata that connect each file to your business records. An organization administrator configures the destination under Integrations → Storage.

Available now: Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive for Business, Microsoft SharePoint Online, and S3-compatible storage (including Amazon S3 and tested Wasabi support). Under validation: OneDrive Personal. Other S3-compatible services may work; verify them with Test Connection before storing documents.

You can create a dedicated repository folder directly in Studio, test cloud access, and migrate an unchanged UUID-based folder hierarchy to another supported provider.

Connecting Google Drive to SoftEXIT Studio

Connect Google Drive, create or select your repository folder, and verify attachment storage without leaving Studio.

Connect Google Drive

Microsoft OneDrive External Storage

Connect OneDrive for Business, create a SoftEXIT Repository folder, and manage documents in your Microsoft 365 account. OneDrive Personal testing is in progress.

Connect OneDrive

Microsoft SharePoint External Storage

Connect a SharePoint Online site, choose its document library, and create a dedicated Studio repository folder.

Connect SharePoint

S3-Compatible External Storage

Use your own Amazon S3 or Wasabi bucket, or connect another compatible S3 service using its endpoint, region, bucket, credentials, and repository prefix.

Connect S3 Storage

Google Drive — Available now

Overview

SoftEXIT Studio lets your organization keep document files in its own Google Drive. Studio stores the references and metadata needed to attach those files to your business records.

Before you begin: You need a Google account with access to the Drive folder you intend to use and organization-administrator access in SoftEXIT Studio. You do not need a Google Cloud project, API keys, or your own OAuth client.

Step 1 — Open Storage Settings

  1. Sign in to SoftEXIT Studio as an organization administrator.
  2. Open Integrations in the Studio navigation, then select the Storage tab.
  3. Under Storage Provider, select Google Drive.

Step 2 — Connect your Google account

  1. Click Connect Account (or Reconnect Account if you previously disconnected).
  2. A Google sign-in and authorization window opens.
  3. Select the Google account containing the Drive you want to use.
  4. Review the permissions requested for SoftEXIT Studio and approve the connection.
  5. Return to Studio once the Google window closes.

Security: You sign in directly with Google. Studio does not receive your Google password. Studio uses Google’s narrower, app-specific Drive authorization rather than requesting unrestricted access to every file.

Step 3 — Choose the destination folder

  1. Under Destination Folder, click Choose Google Drive Folder… to select an existing folder through Google Picker.
  2. Or click New Folder… to create a new folder in My Drive root (for example, SoftEXIT Repository).
  3. The selected Google folder is saved automatically as the Studio destination. You do not need a separate Save button.

Important: Keep the repository folder and its UUID-named subfolders intact. If you change providers or destinations, copy the complete hierarchy and filenames first.

Step 4 — Test the connection

  1. Scroll to Test Connection.
  2. Click Test Connection.
  3. Studio checks authentication and folder access, uploads a small temporary test file, verifies the file, and moves it to Google Drive Trash.
  4. Confirm that Connection Test Successful appears.

Normal customer documents are not deleted by this test.

Step 5 — Attach and open documents

  1. Open a Studio record containing a Documents field.
  2. Click Upload and choose a supported file (the current individual upload limit is 4 MB).
  3. Wait for the upload to finish, then click the document filename to open it from Studio.

Studio organizes files under SoftEXIT_Organization_<UUID> / SoftEXIT_Solution_<UUID> / SoftEXIT_Table_<UUID>. Stored file names begin with SoftEXIT_File_<UUID>_; Studio still shows the original filename. Physical filenames are limited to 255 UTF-8 bytes while preserving the file UUID and extension.

Disconnecting, reconnecting, and deleting files

Under Integrations → Storage, an organization administrator may disconnect Google Drive without deleting the cloud files or Studio document references. While disconnected, new uploads and access to files through Studio are unavailable. Use Reconnect Account to restore the original connection and destination.

To move to OneDrive or SharePoint, copy the entire repository folder hierarchy and filenames to the new provider before selecting the copied root. Studio resolves migrated documents using their permanent UUID-based paths and names. A file omitted during copying will not open until restored. Deleting an individual attachment in Studio normally moves its cloud file to the provider Trash or Recycle Bin.

Common questions

Do I need to manually share my Drive with SoftEXIT?
No. Connect through the Google authorization window; you do not need to provide passwords, API keys, or an OAuth application.

Can I create a repository folder in Studio?
Yes. Use New Folder… under Destination Folder, or select an existing folder using Google Picker.

Can I change storage providers later?
Yes. Copy the complete UUID folder hierarchy and filenames to the new destination, disconnect the old provider, connect the new provider, and select the copied repository root. Do not simply switch providers without copying the files.

Why does Upload ask me to configure storage?
Your organization has not connected storage, has disconnected it, or has not selected a destination. Ask an organization administrator to open Integrations → Storage.

Can ordinary users attach documents?
Yes, with the necessary Studio record permissions and an active storage connection.

Related storage options

Google Drive, OneDrive for Business, SharePoint Online, and S3-compatible storage are available now. Wasabi has been tested with S3 storage; OneDrive Personal compatibility is still being validated. Select another provider above to view its setup steps.

Back to storage options

Microsoft OneDrive — Available now

Overview

Connect OneDrive for Business to keep SoftEXIT Studio record attachments in your Microsoft 365 account. Studio stores the document references; your organization owns the files and their storage.

Before you begin: You need a Microsoft 365 work or school account with OneDrive access and organization-administrator access in Studio. You do not need to create your own Microsoft Entra application or supply a Microsoft Graph API key.

Step 1 — Open Storage in Integrations

  1. Sign in to SoftEXIT Studio as an organization administrator.
  2. Open Integrations → Storage.
  3. Choose Microsoft OneDrive from Storage Provider.

Step 2 — Connect your Microsoft account

  1. Click Connect Account (or Reconnect Account if reconnecting).
  2. Sign in to Microsoft with the work or school account that owns the intended OneDrive.
  3. Review the requested permissions and approve the connection. Some organizations may require approval from a Microsoft 365 administrator.
  4. Return to Studio and confirm that it displays Connected to Microsoft OneDrive.

Your Microsoft password is entered on Microsoft’s sign-in page, not in Studio.

Step 3 — Create or select a repository folder

  1. Under Destination Folder, expand the Microsoft OneDrive folder tree.
  2. Select the folder where you want to create the repository (or Root).
  3. Click New Folder…, enter SoftEXIT Repository, and create it. You may also select an existing folder instead.
  4. Check the repository folder and click Save Selected Folder.

Studio creates its permanent UUID-based Organization, Solution and Table subfolders when you upload record attachments.

Step 4 — Test the connection

  1. Click Test Connection.
  2. Studio verifies folder access, uploads a small temporary file, checks that it exists, and moves it to the Microsoft Recycle Bin.
  3. Confirm the Connection Test Successful message and review the individual results.

This test does not remove your regular Studio document attachments.

Step 5 — Attach and retrieve documents

  1. Open a Studio record that contains a Documents field.
  2. Click Upload and select an allowed file (currently up to 4 MB per file).
  3. After uploading, click the original filename in Studio to open the document.
  4. In OneDrive, navigate to the repository folder you selected to view the UUID folder hierarchy.

Deleting an attachment through Studio moves the connected cloud file to the Microsoft Recycle Bin, subject to Microsoft retention policies.

Disconnecting, reconnecting, and moving files

Disconnecting preserves your Studio attachment references and does not delete your OneDrive files. Reconnect to the same account and destination to restore access.

To switch providers, first copy the entire repository hierarchy and filenames to the other cloud provider, then connect the new provider and choose the copied root folder. Studio uses the permanent UUID paths and stored filenames to find documents rather than relying on OneDrive-specific file IDs. If a file was not copied, Studio can report it as missing.

OneDrive Personal

OneDrive Personal compatibility testing is in progress. The connection interface uses the same Microsoft OneDrive option, but this guide currently confirms the OneDrive for Business workflow. We will update this section when the personal-account workflow is verified.

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Microsoft SharePoint — Available now

Overview

Store Studio attachments in a SharePoint Online document library that your Microsoft 365 organization controls. Select the SharePoint site, library, and a dedicated destination folder in Studio.

Before you begin: You need a Microsoft 365 account with permission to access and add files to the intended SharePoint library, plus organization-administrator access in Studio. Your Microsoft 365 administrator may need to approve the permissions requested by the Studio connection.

Step 1 — Open Storage in Integrations

  1. Sign in to SoftEXIT Studio as an organization administrator.
  2. Open Integrations → Storage.
  3. Under Storage Provider, choose Microsoft SharePoint.

Step 2 — Connect your Microsoft account

  1. Click Connect Account (or Reconnect Account).
  2. Sign in with the Microsoft 365 work or school account that can access the SharePoint site.
  3. Approve the requested Microsoft Graph permissions, or ask your tenant administrator to review an approval request.
  4. Return to Studio and confirm the provider is connected.

Step 3 — Choose a SharePoint site and library

  1. Enter your organization’s complete site address under SharePoint Site URL.
  2. Click Load Document Libraries.
  3. Choose the intended document library from the Document Library dropdown (often named Documents).

Example: https://company.sharepoint.com/sites/sales. Your actual site may use /sites/, /teams/, or the tenant root URL. Do not use the SoftEXIT test-site address unless it is your own SharePoint site.

Step 4 — Create or select the repository root

  1. In Destination Folder, expand the library folder tree and select the location for the repository.
  2. Click New Folder… to create SoftEXIT Repository, or select an existing dedicated folder.
  3. Check the repository folder and click Save Selected Folder.

Choose a location where the connected Microsoft account has permission to create folders and upload files.

Step 5 — Test the connection

  1. Click Test Connection.
  2. Studio authenticates, checks the destination, uploads and verifies a small temporary file, and moves it to the SharePoint Recycle Bin.
  3. Confirm that Connection Test Successful appears and all test steps passed.

Step 6 — Attach and view documents

  1. In Studio, open a record with a Documents field and click Upload (4 MB maximum per file at present).
  2. Click the attachment filename to verify it opens from SharePoint.
  3. In SharePoint, open the chosen site, then its document library and SoftEXIT Repository folder to inspect the organization, solution, table, and file UUID names.

When you delete an attachment from Studio, its cloud file is moved to the SharePoint Recycle Bin according to Microsoft’s recovery policies.

Disconnecting, reconnecting, and migration

Disconnecting SharePoint does not remove files or Studio attachment references. Reconnect the same account and repository to restore access.

If moving from Google Drive or OneDrive, copy the complete SoftEXIT repository folder hierarchy and filenames into the target SharePoint library before connecting the new destination. Studio can resolve files using the UUID folder structure and stored filenames; missing files must be restored or their Studio references removed.

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How Studio organizes and migrates documents

Inside your selected repository folder, Studio stores files using stable permanent UUIDs and human-readable prefixes. Your cloud provider may assign its own file IDs, but you do not need to preserve those IDs when copying documents between providers.

SoftEXIT Repository / SoftEXIT_Organization_<UUID> / SoftEXIT_Solution_<UUID> / SoftEXIT_Table_<UUID> / SoftEXIT_File_<UUID>_OriginalName.pdf

The stored filename is limited to 255 UTF-8 bytes, preserving the permanent file UUID and extension. Studio displays the user’s original filename in records.

Moving an existing repository to another provider

  1. Copy the entire repository folder hierarchy to the destination cloud service. Preserve each UUID folder name and file name exactly.
  2. In Integrations → Storage, disconnect the original provider (finish any pending cleanup jobs first).
  3. Connect Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, SharePoint, or S3-compatible storage as your new provider and select the copied repository folder or configure the matching S3 bucket and Object Prefix.
  4. Open a few existing document attachments in Studio to verify the copied files are accessible.

Important: Disconnecting does not move files for you. With S3, preserve the same organization, solution, table, and filename path beneath the configured Object Prefix. Keep the original copy until you confirm the destination works. If a file is missing after migration, restore the file or remove its attachment reference from Studio.

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Amazon S3 & S3-Compatible Storage — Available now

Overview and prerequisites

SoftEXIT Studio connects directly to customer-controlled Amazon S3 and other S3-compatible object storage services, including Wasabi. Studio stores record references and metadata; attachment files remain in your own storage account. Compatibility with other S3 implementations can vary, so verify your specific service before production use.

Before you begin: You need organization-administrator access in SoftEXIT Studio, an existing S3 bucket in the storage provider you choose, the correct bucket region and S3 API endpoint, and an Access Key ID / Secret Access Key pair with permission to list, read, upload, and delete repository objects.

Step 1 — Open S3 Storage settings

  1. Sign in to SoftEXIT Studio as an organization administrator.
  2. Open Integrations → Storage.
  3. Under Storage Provider, choose S3-Compatible Storage.
  4. Studio connects one external storage destination for the organization at a time; plan any migration before replacing an existing provider.

Step 2 — Prepare your bucket and access credentials

  1. In your storage provider’s console, create or select a private bucket for your organization’s Studio documents. Choose its storage region.
  2. Generate an Access Key ID and Secret Access Key for a dedicated user or service credential. Do not use a root or owner account if a limited-permission credential is available.
  3. Give the credential enough bucket and object permissions for Studio to list objects, upload documents, read documents, and delete them. For AWS IAM, typical permissions include s3:ListBucket, s3:GetObject, s3:PutObject, and s3:DeleteObject, scoped to the intended bucket and repository prefix where possible.
  4. Locate the S3 API endpoint for your provider and region. Use the API endpoint, not the provider’s sign-in page or a public website URL.

Amazon S3: Create/select an AWS S3 bucket and an appropriately restricted IAM access key. The custom Endpoint URL can normally remain blank.

Wasabi: Create/select a Wasabi bucket and generate access keys in the Wasabi console. Select the endpoint for the bucket’s region. For example, US Central 1 uses https://s3.us-central-1.wasabisys.com and signing region us-central-1. See Wasabi’s region endpoints for other regions.

Step 3 — Enter your S3 connection details

Complete the fields in the S3-Compatible Storage panel:

  • Endpoint URL (optional for AWS): Leave blank for standard Amazon S3, or enter the HTTPS S3 API endpoint for Wasabi or another compatible provider.
  • Signing Region: Use the region assigned to your bucket, such as us-east-1 for an AWS bucket in that region, or us-central-1 for Wasabi US Central 1.
  • Bucket: Enter the exact bucket name, without s3:// or a folder path.
  • Object Prefix (repository root): Optionally enter a key prefix such as SoftEXIT-Repository/. This keeps all Studio files together beneath a predictable repository root. Leave it blank to use the bucket root.
  • Access Key ID: Enter the access key created by your provider.
  • Secret Access Key: Enter the matching secret; keep it private.

Example — Wasabi US Central 1: Endpoint URL https://s3.us-central-1.wasabisys.com; Signing Region us-central-1; Bucket your-bucket-name; Object Prefix SoftEXIT-Repository/. Replace the example bucket and credentials with your own values.

Step 4 — Connect and save your S3 configuration

  1. Click Connect S3 Storage when connecting for the first time, or Update S3 Connection to change an existing S3 configuration.
  2. Confirm that Studio reports the S3 destination is connected.
  3. Connection credentials are stored securely and are not displayed again. When updating an active connection, you can leave a key field blank to retain the saved value; when reconnecting after a disconnect, enter both keys again.

Security: Do not put access keys into shared documents, support screenshots, or publicly accessible WordPress pages. Use the private Studio Storage settings screen.

Step 5 — Test access to your bucket

  1. With the S3 destination connected, click Test Connection.
  2. Studio checks the bucket connection and permissions (including listing the bucket) and performs a temporary file test to verify storage access.
  3. Review the step-by-step results and confirm the connection test succeeds before uploading customer documents.

If the test fails, check the Endpoint URL, Signing Region, exact Bucket name, the access-key pair, and permissions to list, upload, read, and delete objects. An endpoint or signing-region mismatch is a common cause of authorization errors.

Step 6 — Upload and retrieve Studio attachments

  1. Open a SoftEXIT Studio record with a Documents field.
  2. Click Upload and select a supported document (the current limit is 4 MB per file).
  3. Wait for the upload to finish, then click its original filename in the record to open it.
  4. In your S3 provider’s console, open the bucket and configured Object Prefix to locate the file.

Studio uses the same permanent UUID naming convention as the other storage providers. Example object key:

SoftEXIT-Repository/SoftEXIT_Organization_<UUID>/SoftEXIT_Solution_<UUID>/SoftEXIT_Table_<UUID>/SoftEXIT_File_<UUID>_OriginalName.pdf

S3 uses object keys with folder-like prefixes rather than requiring real folders. Studio continues to show the original filename to users.

Versioning, deletion, and recovery

Important: S3 storage does not have a universal Trash or Recycle Bin like Google Drive, OneDrive, or SharePoint. If object versioning is not enabled, deleting a Studio attachment may permanently remove its object from the bucket.

Consider enabling bucket versioning and setting appropriate retention or backup policies before storing important customer files. With versioning enabled on services that implement compatible delete-marker behavior, a normal delete adds a delete marker while prior versions can remain available to recover through the provider console, subject to retention and lifecycle policies. This behavior was verified in testing with Wasabi.

Studio’s attachment reference is removed when the document is deleted from the application. Recovering an object version in the provider console does not automatically recreate that deleted Studio reference.

Disconnecting, reconnecting, and switching providers

An administrator can disconnect S3 storage under Integrations → Storage. Disconnecting does not itself delete the bucket objects or the existing Studio document references; access to those attachments through Studio is unavailable until the appropriate destination is connected again.

When reconnecting, use the same bucket, region, endpoint, and Object Prefix so Studio can locate previously stored documents. Re-enter both access keys if reconnecting after a disconnect.

To migrate between S3 and Google Drive, OneDrive, or SharePoint, copy the entire UUID-based repository hierarchy and all physical filenames first. For an S3 destination, the copied hierarchy must begin immediately beneath your selected Object Prefix. Do not merely change the provider setting without copying the files. Keep the old copy until you verify that existing document links open successfully.

Troubleshooting and common questions

Why does Test Connection report Access Denied?
The key may lack ListBucket, GetObject, PutObject, or DeleteObject access, or a bucket policy may deny the request. Review the credential and bucket policy.

Why am I seeing a signature or region error?
Check that the endpoint, Signing Region, and credentials all refer to the same provider account and bucket region. Wasabi endpoints vary by region.

Do I have to use Amazon S3?
No. The same S3-Compatible Storage configuration supports Wasabi and is intended to work with other S3-compatible services. Wasabi has been tested; test each other provider’s compatibility and permissions before relying on it.

Can I use the bucket root?
Yes. Leave Object Prefix blank, or use a dedicated prefix such as SoftEXIT-Repository/ to isolate Studio documents.

Does Studio create the S3 bucket?
No. Create the bucket and credentials in your provider’s console first; Studio stores documents inside that existing bucket.

Are documents stored on SoftEXIT servers?
No. As with the other supported external storage providers, the files are stored in the customer’s connected storage account; Studio stores references and metadata.

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More SoftEXIT Studio Help

Use the Getting Started index to explore other subjects.

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